Impact of "IP Literacy" is the Focus of 2018 IP Awareness Summit at Columbia University

The Center for IP Understanding will hold IPAS 2018, a global event devoted to increasing IP understanding for all

IPAS 2018 will explore the role of patents and other IP rights in a in an information-driven world and look at ways to communicate IP’s vital link to innovation, commerce and society”

— Brian Hinman, Chief Innovation Officer, Aon IP Solutions

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, USA, July 17, 2018 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Center for Intellectual Property Understanding (CIPU) announced today that it is holding this year’s Intellectual Property Awareness Summit in New York on November 29 at Columbia University in the School of Journalism.

Confusion about the purpose and use of inventions, authored works and designs, and their rights, has led to widespread IP theft on the part of both individuals and businesses. Uncertainty inhibits innovation and competition, increases frustration and discourages investment. IPAS 2018 will examine ways to improve audiences’ basic IP awareness and appreciation.

The second annual Intellectual Property Awareness Summit – IP Literacy in a Digital World – will examine the impact of information and speed on how intellectual property is seen and often taken for granted, and ways to address it through education and the media.

IPAS 2017 (Enhancing Value Through Understanding), held at Illinois Institute of Technology/ Chicago-Kent College of Law, drew participants and panelists from the U.S., Europe and Asia, and provided opportunities to network and share ideas. Discussions included best ways to address the widespread confusion over IP rights, and the growing acceptance of IP theft.

IPAS 2018 attendees will include IP holders, executives, educators, creators, service providers and IP organizations. Space is limited. To request an invitation, write explore@understandingip.org. Participants can expect interaction, networking and exploring the role of such groups as government, the media, and educators in making IP rights more intelligible, and the impact of failing to.

“Knowing what IP rights achieve is not just for lawyers,” said Bruce Berman, Chairman and founder of CIPU, an independent non-profit hosting IPAS 2018. “Patents and other IP are too important to ignore and not that difficult for most people to understand. IP is more easily accessible and easily infringed than ever, and many believe it is simply there for the taking.”

IP rights are central to more than 200 years of U.S. history. However, they have grown weaker and less certain over the past decade. Other nations are keenly aware. China, for example, has dramatically improved the reliability of its patent system and increased its investment in technology, which is threatening to dethrone the U.S. as the “go-to” nation for innovation and new ideas. A range of people and institutions that rely on IP need to know what is at stake and how to fix it.

“IPAS 2018 will explore the role of patents and other IP rights in a in an information-driven world,” said Brian Hinman, Chief Innovation Officer at Aon IP Solutions and a CIPU board member. “Everyone should be able to recognize and respect IP rights. This event will examine how to improve basic IP awareness and appreciation. IPAS speakers and panelists will look at ways to communicate IP’s vital link to innovation, commerce and society.”

For a draft of the IPAS 2018 program and event website, visit www.ipawarenesssummit.com. Watch for updates. To register, go here.

About the Center for IP Understanding

The Center for Intellectual Property Understanding is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness of IP rights and their impact on people’s lives. CIPU provides information, conducts research and facilitates activities that seek to make IP more intelligible, enhance value and deter theft. The Center also tracks attitudes toward IP rights, including patents, copyrights, and trademarks, and through outreach, provides an education framework for understanding how IP promotes competition and creates jobs. To learn more, please visit www.understandingip.org.